


Can We (Stay in this Dream)

by g_odalisque13



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bisexual Character, Bisexual Male Character, Blow Jobs, Crushes, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gay Character, Gay Male Character, Hand Jobs, M/M, Making Out, Misunderstandings, Oblivious, Secret Crush, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 12:51:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19812676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/g_odalisque13/pseuds/g_odalisque13
Summary: Just like with most of Baekhyun's bad ideas, Junmyeon finds himself agreeing when Baekhyun suggests they pretend to be in a relationship with one another.  It's not like Junmyeon has a crush on Baekhyun. And it's not like Baekhyun is straight and, therefore, entirely unattainable. What could go wrong?





	Can We (Stay in this Dream)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [coley_merrin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coley_merrin/gifts).



> Written for coley_merrin for her birthday a month and a half ago /nervous laughter  
> Thank you for having patience with me!! I hope you like it! Happy belated birthday! <3

"He was the worst, Junmyeon," Baekhyun said, fingers rubbing against the condensation on his beer bottle. "The _worst_. No offense, but how did you date him for four months?'

Junmyeon thought maybe he should be bristling at Baekhyun's insults about his ex, if only due to the implication he had awful taste. Maybe it was the warmth of two and a half drinks in him, but Junmyeon found himself agreeing. And trying to remember why on earth he _had_ dated the guy.

"He was...tall?" he finally came up with, nearly feeling Baekhyun's loud guffaw next to him.

Not so much of a good reason after all.

"Your ex was pretty bad, too," Junmyeon pointed out when Baekhyun was still laughing after he'd taken a swig of his drink. "She was _mean_."

That had Baekhyun's smile dropping, and Junmyeon felt immediately guilty for bringing it up. 

"You got me there," Baekhyun agreed. "That was a nightmare."

Junmyeon winced into his Tom Collins. 

"Do we even know what good relationships are supposed to be like?" Baekhyun wondered, fingernail picking at the edge of the label on his bottle. "Our collective exes could get together and bring on the apocalypse."

Junmyeon snorted, but it was true. 

"We're good people, right?" Baekhyun demanded, eyes shining in the dim light of the bar. "We deserve to date people who are at least _decent_. We need to get pickier, and spot a shitty situation before we get sucked in."

His words were just slightly slurred, like a carefully written sentence that had been smudged by the side of a hand, but his gaze on Junmyeon was steady, imploring.

"I can't argue " Junmyeon agreed, finding it hard to look away with Baekhyun's insistent attention on him. "But that's easier said than done. If it was easy, we wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't have just been dumped via _text_." 

"We need a yardstick against which to measure all future relationships," Baekhyun went on grandly, gesturing out with his hand as though to illustrate everything that lay before them.

Junmyeon was tipsy...drunk enough that his surroundings were starting to blur, but still, Baekhyun's eyes on him were in crisp focus. 

"Well, sure," Junmyeon responded, leaning forward like Baekhyun was a magnet, "but how-"

"We date each other for a month," Baekhyun jumped in, like that was such an obvious answer. "Not for real. We just treat each other like significant others. And do everything we can to make it the healthiest relationship we can, so afterwards, if we date people who don't treat us as well as we treat each other, we know they aren't worth it."

Was he serious? 

Junmyeon blinked, taking several long seconds to blink and wait for Baekhyun to break- to dissolve into loud laughter that would give away the fact that he was full of shit. But Baekhyun's gaze remained steady on him- eyebrows raised like he was waiting for Junmyeon to agree.

"You...did you just come up with that?" he said, not wanting to eagerly accept something that was likely a joke. 

"It's a good plan!" Baekhyun insisted, still not cracking. "As long as you know how to be a good boyfriend. Do you?"

"I...hope so?" Junmyeon offered, head spinning and not just from the alcohol. 

"Then it's settled!" Baekhyun announced as Junmyeon just stared. "Starting tomorrow, we're dating, and we're gonna do it better than anyone else who has been lucky enough to date either of us!"

 _You don't even like men!_ That's what Junmyeon wanted to say. Because what the fuck?

"Okay," was what he said instead. Because a determined Baekhyun was hard to disagree with. It was easier for everyone to just...go with it. At least, that's what he told _himself_.

The truth was, he'd kind of had a crush on Baekhyun when he'd first met him. He was cute! And funny. And quick witted in a way that had Junmyeon as impressed and entranced as he was envious. Baekhyun had an ease about him that Junmyeon could only dream of. So it was part infatuation, part jealousy, and part attraction. But Baekhyun wasn't gay and that was that. So with that cold, hard fact, Junmyeon's crush had all but dissipated. For the most part.

"Excellent," Baekhyun enthused with a grin, canines glinting in the neon bar sign. "It's a deal."

With that, he held his hand out to shake, and Junmyeon reciprocated with half the confidence Baekhyun was exuding. 

"Call you tomorrow, boyfriend," Baekhyun had said when they'd parted ways at the subway station, and Junmyeon truly had no idea what he'd gotten himself into. 

\---

Waking up the next day, Junmyeon didn't feel any different. Well, except for the hangover. But he barely gave any thought to the unique arrangement Baekhyun had suggested, and by noon, he had convinced himself Baekhyun wouldn't follow up. They had just been drunk and trying to find a solution to terrible relationships. As if there was some cure. It had just been a crazy idea Baekhyun had spouted off 

However, knowing Baekhyun, Junmyeon should have known better.

A knock on his apartment door on a Sunday when his only plans were watching an entire season on a premium subscription service before his free trial expired had Junmyeon pausing prior to getting up to answer it. If it was his noisy neighbor wanting to use his wifi again, he had no desire to engage. But after a moment's hesitation, and a second knock, Junmyeon sighed and stood up, feeling his head throb at the movement. His hangover wasn't bad, but it was present. He was getting too old to drink as much as he had.

"I have pancakes!" Baekhyun exclaimed the moment Junmyeon opened the door, speechless to see Baekhyun standing there with a grin on his face and a styrofoam container in his hand. "Have you ever had a boyfriend bring you pancakes the night after drinking before?"

Still processing, Junmyeon shook his head and stepped aside as Baekhyun pushed his way into his apartment.

"Relationship yardstick engaged!" Baekhyun happily sang as Junmyeon closed and locked the door behind him. 

"I was just watching that new crime drama," Junmyeon humbly offered as Baekhyun made himself at home and set the pancake container down on the coffee table before heading to the kitchen, "where the journalist goes back to her hometown to investigate a murder."

"Oh! I haven't seen that yet!" Baekhyun enthused, emerging with two water bottles and two forks. "How many episodes in are you?"

"One and a half…" Junmyeon answered, sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table as Baekhyun sat and gestured for him to do the same. 

"You can catch me up and I'll watch with you," Baekhyun suggested, turning a smile on Junmyeon. 

"Uh, sure," Junmyeon agreed, feeling Baekhyun's knee press against his as he settled in. 

It would be good to have someone to talk about it with. What were with all the flashbacks? And who was the murderer?

The pancakes were good, and Baekhyun's running commentary on the show was enjoyable, if not slightly annoying when he was trying to pay attention. 

But if this was the kind of thing a good boyfriend would do, Junmyeon was all in.

\---

After his hangover had cleared and the entire series had been binged, Baekhyun had gone home, a flurry of delayed realizations via text about the twist on the show coming in the hour after his departure. Even with the headache and hint of nausea, it had ended up being a really great day that Junmyeon was sad to see end. And not just because he had work the next day.

Though in regards to their "relationship," Junmyeon knew the ball was in his court. He couldn't just sit back and let Baekhyun spoil him. He had to treat Baekhyun just as well so they both had an example of a good relationship to measure against. Besides, doing something nice to show appreciation for someone else's kindness was the type of thing Junmyeon would do anyway.

So during the morning on Monday, Junmyeon found Baekhyun's favorite restaurant online and had his favorite meal delivered to his office. It was unfortunate that he wouldn't get to see Baekhyun's reaction to the surprise or his enjoyment of the meal, but just knowing that Baekhyun would be happy had a warmth glowing in Junmyeon's chest as he ate his own microwaved lunch. 

_My boyfriend is the best!!!!_ was the text he got in the middle of his lazy social media perusal during the second half of his lunch break.

The phrasing had Junmyeon's cheeks heating at the same time he snorted from the absurdity. 

A picture of Baekhyun grinning and giving a thumbs up with the food in the frame followed, and Junmyeon couldn't help his smile as he sat in the office's kitchenette by himself. 

\---

"You know Baekhyun has a heart next to your name in his phone now, right?" Chanyeol, a mutual friend, told him the next day. 

Junmyeon and Chanyeol lived near each other, so it wasn't uncommon for them to grab dinner after work. Though this conversion topic was definitely new. Apparently Chanyeol had seen Baekhyun the day before and gotten the scoop. 

"And whenever you texted him, he stopped talking to announce _it's my boyfriend hold on_ ," Chanyeol went on, seeming as perplexed by the whole thing as Junmyeon had been when Baekhyun had first come up with the idea.

"Well, you know Baekhyun," Junmyeon offered, ducking his head to hide the blush he could feel creeping up his neck. "He doesn't do anything with subtlety."

He knew he shouldn't have been feeling anything based on Baekhyun mucking it up with Chanyeol. Of course Baekhyun was joking about it. It was ridiculous! A fake relationship? If Baekhyun hadn't been going over the top, it would have been more noteworthy. 

"This whole thing...I'd expect it from him, but why are you going along with it?" Chanyeol asked, eyes wide and curious as he chomped down on a French fry.

"It's not a horrible idea," Junmyeon tried, waving his hand as though pretending to date one of his friends happened all the time. "And if this is what I need to get out of my relationship rut, so be it."

"You guys are weird," Chanyeol said around a mouthful of food. "But if it works, you could write a self help book and get rich."

"Well that sounds pretty great," Junmyeon laughed, swallowing down his misplaced fluttery feelings. They were fake dating and that was all. And the best case scenario was that he'd finish off the month with a new sense of self that would help him find the man of his dreams. 

\---

"A murder mystery and now this?" Baekhyun complained, pulling the blanket up toward his chin. 

Baekhyun had been texting Junmyeon regularly all week- to the point where Junmyeon was honestly not being as productive at work as he could have been- but he didn't suggest they hang out until Friday. He'd said he was completely wiped out from work and wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a movie and his boyfriend. (Junmyeon had absolutely not felt his stomach flip reading that.) If Junmyeon would come to his place so he wouldn't have to move, Baekhyun had said, Junmyeon could pick the movie. 

So there they were- sharing a blanket on Baekhyun's couch and watching an indie horror movie that had gotten incredible reviews.

"I thought you liked the murder mystery," Junmyeon countered, amused by how small Baekhyun was making himself. 

"I did! But this is… the music alone is going to give me a heart attack," Baekhyun griped, and Junmyeon chuckled, patting Baekhyun's knee through the blanket. 

Junmyeon wasn't trying to be a sadist, truly. The movie was supposed to be good!

Also, Baekhyun trying to pretend he wasn't hiding under the blanket was really cute. 

"What the fuck is that crow doing?" Baekhyun demanded, nearly ducking when it flew toward the camera. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to torture you," Junmyeon snickered. "I guess I'm not being a particularly good boyfriend."

"Only because you're not holding my hand!" Baekhyun retorted, and Junmyeon found himself gaping for a second and entirely missing a chunk of dialogue happening on screen. "I'll watch it with you, but a good boyfriend would hold my hand!"

He had a point, honestly. If he'd been watching a movie, any movie, with a boyfriend, Junmyeon would have held his hand at some point. Or leaned against him. Or thrown his legs over his lap. Something.

Especially with a horror movie, hand holding seemed very reasonable. But Junmyeon hadn't thought Baekhyun would _want_ that. 

But here they were- Baekhyun looking at Junmyeon with expectantly raised brows and a hand peeking out from under the blanket. 

There was no reason he shouldn't, so Junmyeon wrapped Baekhyun's warm hand in his own, letting Baekhyun guide their clasped hand back under the safety of the blanket. 

It was...nice. Yes, nice. That seemed like a reasonable description. Holding hands was something Junmyeon enjoyed, so it was only natural he liked holding hands with Baekhyun. It was warm and comforting, even if Junmyeon didn't need the protection from what was happening in the movie. 

Though nice maybe wasn't the word when Baekhyun's nails were digging into his skin as Baekhyun babbled loudly to try to ease his own nerves about the swell of music as the protagonist turned a corner. 

"See? That was horrifying, but I'm happy," Baekhyun announced as the credits rolled, fingers still twined with Junmyeon's as he pulled their joined hands to his chest. 

It had Junmyeon swallowing through a chuckle, thinking Baekhyun was teasing and was going to let go any second since the movie was over, but he held on, stretching his legs in front of him and humming happily. 

Baekhyun's hands were really pretty. It was something Junmyeon had known since the day they'd met and he'd watched Baekhyun eat a plate of fries with probable way too much fascination. His tapered fingers were so delicate, though, that it had been hard to look away as he'd gestured. 

It was starting to get a little sweaty, holding hands for so long, but it wasn't so slimy it was gross. even if it was, though, Junmyeon didn't know if he'd mind so much. His ex hadn't liked holding hands. What he'd said was that it was hard to walk that way, what with their height difference. And that was...valid (though Junmyeon hadn't thought it had been all that awful). But that didn't explain why, when they were sitting next to each other that his ex had always found some excuse to let go of his hand after a minute or so. 

So it really wasn't Junmyeon's fault that this closeness was something he craved. 

"What're you thinking?" Baekhyun asked with a tilt of his lips as his foot jiggled under the soft blanket. 

"Zoning out," Junmyeon hedged with a little laugh, heat prickling along the back of his neck at the way Baekhyun was watching him with a gentle, amused smile on his face. 

"Thought maybe you were trying to think up a way to get your new boyfriend into bed," Baekhyun teased, having Junmyeon nearly choking on his own spit before he was able to cough out a denial. 

"That's not-" he tried, swatting at Baekhyun's leg with his free hand as Baekhyun cackled.

"Because I was going to say, you don't need to think so hard," he teased with a wicked grin even after barely dodging Junmyeon's smack. "I wouldn't bother playing hard to get."

Junmyeon knew his ears were red as he tried to shoot Baekhyun a glare that said _I don't have time for your nonsense_ while still keeping a sense of humor about it, because this was just Baekhyun. Flirty and taunting and mischievous was who he was. 

As he helplessly chuckled, Junmyeon was the one to pull his hand away this time. 

And maybe that was for the best.

\---

"One shot, one shot," Baekhyun chanted, grinning at Chanyeol as he returned to their table with a giant mug of beer.

Goggling at him for a second, Chanyeol snorted. "Unless you want me to burp in your face..."

"Pussy," Minseok tossed over his shoulder, eyes crinkling when Chanyeol looked at him, betrayed. "I once drank a full glass of vodka in one shot with no chaser."

"You did not," Baekhyun argued loudly, nearly leaning over Junmyeon's lap to wag a finger in Minseok's face. "I would have heard about it before now."

"It's true!" Minseok insisted. "Go buy me a drink and I'll show you!"

"Let's not," Junmyeon offered. "I really don't want to take you to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning. This is the weekend, and I'm not wasting it under florescent lights."

Baekhyun cackled, voice loud in Junmyeon's ear. 

"I guess I don't really want to throw up today," Minseok conceded, winking in Junmyeon's direction to let him know that he definitely hadn't really been planning to give in to Baekhyun's taunting.

"If only you'd had that same mindset in college," Chanyeol teased, and Minseok gaped at him, mock offended. 

"I'd pay to see Minseok out of control drunk and puking," Baekhyun tossed out only to earn himself three pairs of eyes on him. "What? I've never seen Minseok totally plastered. Seems like it would be amusing."

"Puking though...?" Chanyeol winced.

"Get your _boyfriend_ under control," Minseok said, elbows on the table and eyes sparkling as he regarded Junmyeon across from him. 

"No one can control me!" Baekhyun nearly yelped, sitting on a foot to perhaps seems more imposing. "Not even Junmyeon."

"So how's that boyfriends thing going, anyway?" Chanyeol asked, wiping some foam off his upper lip with his sleeve. 

"Don't be such a homophobe!" Baekhyun complained jokingly, fixing Chanyeol with a faux-serious glare.

"I'm not!" Chanyeol denied immediately, eyes nearly bugging out even though Baekhyun was clearly kidding. 

He quickly looked to Junmyeon and Minseok in turn, as though his gay friends, who had known him for years, were going to think he'd secretly been homophobic all this time. 

"I just meant because pretending to date someone is fucking weird!" Chanyeol defended as Baekhyun laughed around a swallow of his own beer. "Not because you're both guys!"

"I know," Junmyeon assured him, reaching across the sticky table to pat Chanyeol's hand before he tripped over himself anymore. 

"So?" Minseok prompted, Junmyeon in the cross-hairs of his amused stare once again. "How's it going?"

"It's..." Junmyeon started, not even sure what to say. How was one meant to measure the success of a fake relationship?

"-a rousing success!"Baekhyun announced, finishing Junmyeon's sentence. 

"Arousing?" Minseok teased, and Baekhyun's eyebrow waggle had Junmyeon taking a hasty swallow of his gin and tonic. 

"A rousing," Baekhyun reiterated, "but I like where your mind is."

Minseok snorted, half rolling his eyes as he took a swig of his drink. 

Weakly laughing, Junmyeon expertly avoided the eyes of everyone at the table. 

"How's single life?" Baekhyun retorted, throwing an arm around Junmyeon's shoulders and doing nothing to help the burning on the back of his neck. 

"Fantastic," Minseok replied, leaning back and making the cheap pleather seat squeak as he stretched his arms over his head. "How many men have I hooked up with in the past few weeks you ask? Let's see..." 

"You don't need to rub it in," Chanyeol said as Minseok pretended to count on his fingers.

"Are you jealous of Minseok's men?" Baekhyun gaped, clearly getting kicked under the table by his yelp. 

"What about the girl at work?" Junmyeon prompted, taking pity on his friend whose ears were as dark as Junmyeon hoped his weren't. 

"Still have no idea if she likes me, is terrified of me, or just has no opinion about my existence," Chanyeaol sighed, dumping the last bit of beer into his mouth. 

"That's a pretty wide range of possibilities," Minseok marveled. "I'd think you'd at least know if she was terrified of you…”

"But I don't!" Chanyeol wailed, and Minseok made hushing sounds through his chuckles as he patted Chanyeol on the shoulder. 

"Gotta say," Baekhyun began, hand falling to Junmyeon's waist, "I'm grateful for this stability."

He turned to Junmyeon with a wide, boxy smile that was too earnest not to return despite the charade they were putting on

"It sure is something," Junmyeon laughed even as Chanyeol flipped Baekhyun off with a demand for another beer to make up for his lack of support. 

Baekhyun's fingers squeezed where they were wrapped around Junmyeon's middle, and Junmyeon tried not to think about the fact that no one could even see Baekhyun's touch. It was just for him.

\---

Junmyeon couldn't say he got used to the constant texting with Baekhyun and the nearly unannounced visits from his so-called boyfriend, but it got to the point over the next week and a half that it wasn't so jarring. Not that being around Baekhyun was jarring...just the attention was something new. 

By the time they were about halfway through their proposed faux dating timeline, Junmyeon was in the habit of keeping Baekhyun in the back of his mind- ready to pick up a little figurine of a movie character Baekhyun liked or a pastry to give him when they met up later.

Similarly, Junmyeon was no longer completely gobsmacked when Baekhyun brought him coffee during his lunch break- black with just the tiniest splash of milk, just like he liked it. And when Baekhyun somehow knew to bring a caramel macchiato instead on the one day he was really craving sugar. Well. He was pretty speechless then, but at least his stomach wasn't twisting up like his first crush had made eye contact with him. Not as much anyway.

It had all gotten surprisingly comfortable in the two plus weeks they'd been pretending to date. It was like friendship, but a little more. It was like having a best friend to the hundredth power or something. If Junmyeon was careful (and he had been), he could separate the arrangement from any sort of romantic overtones. It was just a friend treating him well. That was all. Because thinking of Baekhyun, straight and therefore very unavailable to Junmyeon, as a _boyfriend_ was just too dangerous.

Junmyeon was almost proud of himself for how well he'd been keeping himself in check. At least until he walked into _le Chapitre_ and saw Baekhyun waiting for him in a grey button down and nicely fitted slacks with a smile stretching across his face when he spotted Junmyeon.

 _Shoulders_ , he wanted to croak. _Thighs_.

"Have you been waiting long?" he said instead, eyes getting stuck on the unbuttoned top button of Baekhyun's shirt.

"Nope," he replied, grinning at Junmyeon and placing a guiding hand on the small of his back as he moved toward the maitre d who was gesturing for them to follow. 

For the full twenty seconds it took them to walk to their table, a small, curved booth, Baekhyun's hand remained where it was, and this was bad. This was bad.

The curved booth meant they were sitting nearly next to each other, knees brushing under the table, and why couldn't they have been seated at one of the little tables by the windows? Across from each other. Like...like civilized humans!

"You said you haven't been here before?" Junmyeon asked when they had been left with their menus. Surely they would get water soon. Junmyeon's throat was so dry.

"First time," Baekhyun confirmed, long fingers tapping against the specials menu. "Minseok said he went on a date here and it was really romantic. And I thought to myself, _I should bring my boyfriend there!_ "

“Ha,” Junmyeon bleated, grabbing for his water glass desperately as soon as the bus boy set it down. 

But no. He could do this. Dinner. It was just dinner. With a friend. He just had to get past the whole romantic atmosphere, close proximity, and broad shoulders that were trying to siphon out his remaining sanity. Junmyeon was an expert at persevering, or at least he liked to think he was. He just had to focus on other things and it would be _fine_. 

And it was. They perused the menu, discussed their options, ordered- everything regular people who were not faux dating and possibly having mental breakdowns did. That was a point in the normalcy column for sure, if anyone was keeping score. 

“I was like an email ninja,” Baekhyun laughed over his salmon. “I don’t know who fucked up our server, but emails would come in and then disappear within minutes. So I was taking screenshots and downloading attachments at the speed of light.”

Baekhyun’s fork waved around as he enthusiastically mimed typing on a computer and clicking a mouse. 

“Sounds like an action packed day,” Junmyeon teased, feeling calmer with the familiarity of Baekhyun’s company and the warmth in his chest from the glass of wine he’d nearly downed before finishing half of his risotto. 

“It was!” Baekhyun enthused, utensils finally pointing back in the correct direction. “And our IT guy was nowhere to be found, so I was the only hope the whole office had! Honestly, they should give me a raise. I know the IT guy makes more than me. And while I don’t know how to do his job, I was the one left dealing with shit he was supposed to.”

“Seems reasonable,” Junmyeon allowed, lips quirking in amusement. 

“ _And_ I don’t wear enough cologne for people to smell me when I’m thirty feet away,” he went on, not even taking a break to take another bite. “I’d be an upgrade, truthfully.”

Snorting, Junmyeon speared a piece of asparagus from his plate. “You should float that all by your boss. He’d be crazy not to promote you.”

“Exactly,” Baekhyun replied with a pleased grin, picking up his wine glass and miming a toast that Junmyeon didn’t have a chance to reciprocate before Baekhyun was taking a triumphant sip. 

More talk about work and their friends got them through their entrees. It was just dinner with a friend, Junmyeon reassured himself, grinning in amusement as Baekhyun dramatically insisted they get dessert.

With chocolate mousse in front of Baekhyun and creme brulee in front of Junmyeon, Baekhyun beamed, holding his spoon up like he was ready for battle.

The moan he let out at the first taste of mousse was...Junmyeon quickly cracked through the sugar on top of his creme brulee and took a bite to distract himself. 

"How is yours?" Baekhyun asked, licking a little chocolate from his lips and leaning over to observe Junmyeon's dessert.

"Good," Junmyeon replied around a bite of custard, hand coming up to shield his mouth. "Yours?"

Given the moan, he probably didn't need to ask.

"Amazing!" Baekhyun enthused, making another sound if appreciation in his throat. "Five out of five, definitely. Can I try yours?"

"Sure," Junmyeon replied, moving his spoon away so Baekhyun had room to scoop out a taste. 

Except he was just sitting there, staring at Junmyeon expectantly. 

It was with a jolt that Junmyeon realized Baekhyun wanted to be fed. 

"You want me to…" Junmyeon trailed off, wanting to be sure before he did something embarrassing. But Baekhyun just grinned and nodded, leaning forward a little. Almost like he was waiting for a kiss. 

Junmyeon forcefully shook that thought from his mind, and focused on getting the perfect bite for Baekhyun to taste.

Baekhyun's eyes sparkled as Junmyeon offered up a taste, the drag of his lips over the spoon obscene. Or maybe that was just Junmyeon's own bias.

"Also really good," Baekhyun said after a moment of consideration, and Junmyeon had honestly forgotten what they were even doing for a second. "But I'm going to have to give it a four out of five. It's just no chocolate mousse."

"That's fair," Junmyeon croaked, downing the last several swallows of his wine in one gulp.

"Do you want to try?" Baekhyun asked, holding out a bite of chocolate mousse for Junmyeon to be tempted by. Though the mousse wasn't what was tempting. 

Some stupid excuse like chocolate after dinner keeping him up was on the tip of Junmyeon's tongue, but he nodded, leaning in and accepting the bite from Baekhyun's spoon.

He was probably projecting, but it almost seemed like Baekhyun's eyes dipped as he fed him- like the look of a man anticipating the lips of his lover against his own. It had Junmyeon's heart kicking, chocolate sweet on his tongue as he swallowed.

There was a beat where Baekhyun was just looking at him, eyes seeming too dark, and Junmyeon felt like he was frozen. He needed to say something before this all went to his head. He needed to say something before he did something stupid like lean in.

"It's good," Junmyeon choked out, reaching for his water glass like a lifeline. 

The moment was broken when Baekhyun beamed, nodding like Junmyeon had confirmed his theories about the birth of the universe.

"What's your score?" he asked, eyes crinkling as he took another bite for himself.

Junmyeon had honestly barely been paying attention to the mousse, too busy with Baekhyun's eyes.

"Five out of five," he declared, thinking of how it had felt to have Baekhyun's gaze on his mouth. "Definitely five out of five."

\---

"So do you have any end-of-the-date moves?" Baekhyun wanted to know, arm hooked with Junmyeon's as he walked him up to his door. 

Baekhyun lived in the opposite direction from Junmyeon, but he had been insistent about walking Junmyeon home first and then getting a cab. He'd said it was because they had had quite a few glasses of wine between them, so Junmyeon should have someone to accompany him home. And despite Junmyeon's repeated assurances that it wasn't necessary, he found himself walking the five blocks back to his apartment with Baekhyun hanging off his arm.

"Uh…" Junmyeon started, drawing a blank.

Honestly, with Baekhyun nearly caging him against his door, he couldn't bring to mind any date he'd ever been on before. Baekhyun's hand resting on the doorframe and his little, amused grin were all Junmyeon could think about. 

"Invite them in for coffee?" he finally came up with, lightly smacking Baekhyun's side at his snort.

"I have to be up early tomorrow," Baekhyun told him with a teasing smirk. "Or else I'd accept your invitation."

Junmyeon made an embarrassed sound of protest, hitting a cackling Baekhyun again. He hadn't actually been _inviting_ him in. 

"How about you?" he challenged, wanting to get the attention off himself. "What are your moves?"

Except at the flash of mischief in Baekhyun's gaze had Junmyeon wondering if that had been the wrong course of action. 

"Well," Baekhyun began, and Junmyeon knew he was in for it, "I make sure to stall at the door, keep them talking. And I just keep touching them in little ways…"

Baekhyun's hands were smoothing across Junmyeon's shoulders and down his arms, knuckles brushing against his waist before he could even suppress the shiver.

"And I move in close," Baekhyun murmured, stepping even further into Junmyeon's space. 

Junmyeon felt like sparks were erupting across his skin, little bursts of electricity firing in his fuzzy brain.

"And drop my voice…"

Baekhyun was so close he was nearly pressed against Junmyeon's front, voice dipped lower and quieter than Junmyeon had ever heard it. Baekhyun's eyes were on his lips, and Junmyeon felt like his entire body was buzzing- dying to lean in.

Through the haze of want that had settled around him, Junmyeon registered that Baekhyun was leaning in. And _oh_ , he longed to feel the press of Baekhyun's lips against his. Just a little-

With a start, Junmyeon jerked back before their lips could touch. 

What was he doing? What was _Baekhyun_ doing?

Maybe he was just trying to make a joke, thinking Junmyeon would stop him or laugh it off. 

He didn't know, but his heart was pounding as he stared at Baekhyun, looking just as lost as he felt.

"That's-" Junmyeon started, wanting to compliment Baekhyun's _move_ , but deciding that was too...too, "I'm just going to- I'll- Goodnight."

And before Baekhyun could reply, Junmyeon spun and hastily unlocked his door, throwing a nervous smile over his shoulder before letting himself inside and solidly shutting the door behind him. Like Baekhyun might force his way in and demand to know why Junmyeon was such a mess.

He felt like he was breathing too hard as he slowly backed into his apartment, just wanting to regain his bearings. 

What if Baekhyun had seen how badly Junmyeon had wanted to kiss him? What if his little, totally-under-control crush was found out? Baekhyun certainly wouldn't want to fake date him, that was for sure. Which he clearly shouldn't have been doing in the first place since he couldn't keep his own emotions in check. 

Junmyeon was pretty sure Baekhyun wouldn't hold it against him as far as their regular friendship went. It wasn't like he was a homophobe or didn't know Junmyeon was gay. But it would still probably change their dynamics, if only because Baekhyun would be worried about hurting his feelings or giving him the wrong idea.

If Baekhyun didn't put a stop to their arrangement, Junmyeon was pretty sure he should. This wasn't good for either of them. 

A scalding shower didn't do much besides turn Junmyeon's skin a bright pink by the time he stepped out, but maybe he was a little calmer. 

Though the tossing and turning he did when he tried to sleep would say otherwise.

\---

As Junmyeon waited for his coffee to brew the next morning, things didn’t seem quite as straightforward. 

On the one hand, continuing on as they were now was proving to be extremely dangerous. If Baekhyun hadn’t seen through him completely the night before, it was only a matter of time before he did. Junmyeon really didn’t want to ruin their friendship and make Baekhyun uncomfortable. 

On the other hand, though, what if Baekhyun really _hadn’t_ seen how tempted Junmyeon had been to kiss him? What if he had just been playing around, and thought nothing of it at all? Calling off their arrangement in that case would basically be shouting at the top of his lungs that he had feelings for Baekhyun that were only growing with every text exchanged and fake date they went on. 

He was still caught up in such circular arguments when his phone chimed several minutes later, startling him and causing him to nearly slosh milk all over the couch as he jerked with his cereal bowl in his lap. 

It was a text from Baekhyun.

Taking a deep breath, Junmyeon steeled himself for potentially being confronted about what had happened outside his door the night before. 

But instead, it was a picture of a husky in the hallway of Baekhyun’s building with the caption _look who I got to ride the elevator with this morning!_

It could not have been a more typical text from Baekhyun. No mention of their almost kiss or Junmyeon’s hasty retreat. No questions about what the hell was wrong with him. Maybe Baekhyun was just granting him some mercy by not reminding him of his strange behavior. But the fact that Baekhyun was texting him like this...maybe it meant everything was okay? Did Junmyeon even want everything to be okay? Because if everything was okay, he was going to have to keep acting like he wasn’t wishing the fake dates were real dates. And he wasn’t sure how much longer he could do that.

 _Cute! :)_ was what Junmyeon sent back. That would have to do for the time being. 

\---

_You’re not going to make your boyfriend drink alone, are you?_

That’s the text that had flashed on Junmyeon’s phone screen when he was stubbornly not answering Baekhyun. He wasn’t doing it out of any kind of spite (even if he wanted to be annoyed that Baekhyun had to be so damn charming and flirty sometimes- they were _fake_ dating, what the hell). He just didn’t want to see him right then was all. And by that he meant he really, really wanted to see him, and therefore he probably shouldn’t. 

It had been on his mind for hours, yet Junmyeon still didn’t know whether he should continue to go along with their faux-relationship or not. No matter what he did, he was in danger of being found out.

So, when he’d glanced at his phone, sitting on the arm of the couch, when it vibrated for the fifth time in a row and saw _You’re not going to make your boyfriend drink alone, are you?_ , he’d said _fuck it_ and agreed to meet Baekhyun at the bar they often went with Chanyeol and Minseok. 

It was casual, at least, unlike their dinner destination the night before. Except Baekhyun standing from a barstool to greet him in somewhat fitted, straight leg jeans and a baggy sweatshirt had him feeling just as out of sorts as the nice slacks and button-up had. 

Baekhyun hadn’t been acting any different than usual- not like he was freaked out by how close they’d come to kissing on their last “date,” so Junmyeon tried to will himself to relax. If Baekhyun wasn’t feeling weird, Junmyeon shouldn’t be tiptoeing around conspicuously. 

The gin helped. And so did the second and third glasses. 

By the time the bartender was handing Junmyeon his fourth Tom Collins of the night, he was feeling absolutely one hundred percent fine. He was lighter than air as he giggled at Baekhyun’s impression of the main character from a show they’d been watching together. What had he even been worried about? He had another week of pretending to date Baekhyun and then they’d go back to their regular friendship and that was that! It wasn’t like he had to act any differently than if they were just being friends now. Because that’s what they were doing. Being extra attentive friends. Who’d almost kissed. But that was such a teeny, tiny blip. Junmyeon was sure he’d overreacted. It wasn’t a big deal at all. 

Baekhyun was smiling at him when Junmyeon stopped congratulating himself in his head for behaving so normally. 

“What?” he asked, reaching up to feel his hair like maybe Baekhyun was smiling at a particularly amusing cowlick. 

“I’m glad you and that guy broke up,” Baekhyun said. “You seem happier.”

Frozen, Junmyeon didn’t know what to say. Baekhyun was definitely drunk, for one. He rarely showed affection like a normal person with a sincere word. Instead, it was teases and maybe leaning too far into someone’s space. So this- Baekhyun looking at him fondly and telling him he looked happy...it wasn’t something Junmyeon was ready for. 

“Uh…” he replied, letting out a nervous huff of a laugh. 

“I didn’t want to say anything when you were dating him, but seriously, Junmyeon, he was such an ass,” Baekhyun went on. And at least that statement didn’t leave him quite as unbalanced. 

“He was,” Junmyeon agreed, running his fingers through his hair with a defeated chuckle. Dating his ex really hadn’t been a high point for him. 

"I mean, was the sex just really fucking great or what," Baekhyun said with a shake of his head and a humorously judgmental quirk of his lips. "He was tall, so I guess he had a big dick. But c'mon Junmyeon. Didn't anyone teach you size isn't everything?"

Junmyeon absolutely failed to swallow his drink correctly, hunching over as he coughed from gin going down the wrong pipe. Baekhyun being crass wasn't shocking, but talking about Junmyeon's ex's dick…

Baekhyun's hand was patting against his back as Junmyeon wheezed and tried to expel Tom Collins from his lungs. 

"You good?" Baekhyun asked when Junmyeon took another draw from his straw to test whether he was capable of drinking without drowning. "Having flashbacks of giving head or…?"

The elbow to Baekhyun's ribs was instinctual, and Baekhyun's cackling had Junmyeon chuckling. 

But Baekhyun's hand that had been on his back was sliding up, warm over his shoulder blades, until his thumb was brushing the nape of Junmyeon's neck. 

There was a clatter behind them- maybe a server dropping a tray or someone spilling their drink- but Junmyeon didn't turn to see what it was because the touch seemed to have rendered him immobile.

"He probably wasn't even that good," Baekhyun was saying, almost to himself were it not for his eyes trained steadily on Junmyeon's. "Guys like that never are. They think they can just exist and that's enough. But have you ever been with someone who fucking gets off on making you feel good? Because that's...worth having. That's the kind of guy you deserve."

Swallowing was suddenly an issue again, Junmyeon realized as he tried to make out anything beyond the rushing in his ears. Was Baekhyun saying these words to him? Making jokes about dicks, fine. Staring into Junmyeon's eyes and telling him he deserved a guy who got off on getting him off? 

Junmyeon could feel how hot his ears were, heat radiating out from where Baekhyun's soft touch was dancing against the sensitive skin of his neck. He wanted to pretend he couldn't feel the beginnings of arousal starting to flow through his limbs, but he was drunk enough that that lie wasn't going to stick for even a second. 

Maybe Baekhyun was drunker than he thought. Maybe he'd forgotten whom he was talking to. His speech was a little loose, though not the unintelligible ramblings of a truly plastered individual who had no idea what was going on. 

Baekhyun's thumb skated against the skin under his ear, and Junmyeon shuddered despite himself. Gaze flickering down to Junmyeon's lips at the action, Baekhyun's eyes started to dip closed as he leaned in.

This...what the fuck was happening? It was familiar after the night before, and yet it still felt so inexplicable and foreign. 

He should pull away, ask what the hell Baekhyun thought he was doing. But the gin made his limbs feel heavier than normal. And even more compelling of a reason not to move away, Junmyeon didn't _want_ to.

Baekhyun's lips against his were almost a relief after the extended beat Junmyeon had to wait after resolving to let this happen. He felt Baekhyun exhale through his nose and thought maybe Baekhyun felt the same way. The press of lips was warm, and the slide had tingles dancing down Junmyeon's spine. His hands went to Baekhyun's shoulders so he didn't just tip right off his barstool, unable to stop himself from reeling Baekhyun in when he felt the light touch of a tongue against his upper lip. 

Junmyeon was pretty sure the quiet moan wasn't his, but that meant it was Baekhyun who made that sound, and Junmyeon really didn't need any further stimuli with the way he could feel his body reacting. His knees spread as Baekhyun's hand, the one not against his neck, came to rest on his thigh, sliding up and-

Like waking up from a vivid dream with a start, Junmyeon wrenched himself back from the kiss. What the fuck was he doing? Making out with Baekhyun? In a bar? Junmyeon didn't do intense public displays like this. And even more concerning was the fact that it was his straight friend he was kissing?! 

Why the hell was Baekhyun kissing him? For fun? As an experiment? To try to go above and beyond with the whole fake boyfriend thing? Junmyeon had no fucking clue, but he knew he shouldn't have allowed it to happen. He should have put on the brakes before ending up here- heart pounding, dick half hard in his jeans, and lips still feeling like they were being kissed. 

"Fuck," he muttered, stumbling to get up from his bar stool and shaking off Baekhyun's hand on his elbow that was trying to steady him. "This isn't-"

Isn't what? It wasn't so many things, but there were no words coming to Junmyeon in that moment, so he just gave up with talking and concentrated on getting his wallet out of his pocket and trying to find some cash.

He threw two twenties down on the bar, not knowing if he was over or under. Probably over. Hopefully over. He just had to-

" _Junmyeon_ ," Baekhyun said, trying to reach for his arm again, but Junmyeon was already stepping back and looking toward the exit.

He thought he might have heard a sorry behind him as he made for the door, but he wasn't sure. It could have been someone apologizing for bumping into him as he made his hasty retreat. It didn't matter because he wasn't about to stay still long enough to find out. 

When he stepped onto the street, Junmyeon pulled his cell phone out of his jacket- already requesting a ride share. He was afraid Baekhyun was going to burst out onto the sidewalk behind him, but it was almost disappointment he felt when his car pulled up a minute later and that hadn't happened. 

He should never have come out, Junmyeon thought as he slouched in the backseat of a stranger's car and stared unseeingly out the window at the passing lights.

The song playing on the radio reminded him of the first time he'd gone to karaoke with Baekhyun, back when they'd both been fresh out of college and had only just met. Junmyeon could remember the grin on Baekhyun's face as he'd chosen the song and gestured for Junmyeon to sing it with him. If he closed his eyes, he could almost completely lose himself in the memory.

But then the song was changing to some new pop song he hadn't heard before, and Junmyeon was snapped back to reality. 

Breath fogging the glass as his temple rested against the window, Junmyeon had no idea what had just happened. But it felt like he'd lost a best friend.

\---

The sharp knock at the door had Junmyeon tensing up where he sat sprawled on the couch. He had been watching some random crime documentary, but was only half paying attention as he tried to go through the stack of mail that had begun to pile up on his coffee table. Could it have been Baekhyun at the door? Junmyeon hadn’t even looked at his phone since the night before- too afraid of what he’d find. He knew that Baekhyun would have tried to contact him by now, especially considering the fact that he’d just basically run out of the bar like a crazy person. But his phone was in his bedroom at the moment, so if whoever was at the door gave any warning they were coming over, Junmyeon didn’t know about it. 

Nervously, Junmyeon made his way over to the door, pausing to look through the peephole, and letting out a breath of relief when he saw that it was Minseok. 

“Hey,” he greeted, opening the door and stepping aside to let Minseok inside. “Did we have plans?”

Junmyeon had actually forgotten he was in an old, ragged t-shirt and sweatpants until Minseok’s gaze swept over him- brow quirked in judgment at his disheveled state, 

“No, but I was sent here to make sure you weren’t dead seeing as haven’t answered the phone since last night,” Minseok told him, stepping out of his shoes and making his way into Junmyeon’s living room. 

“Yeah…” Junmyeon hedged sheepishly, shuffling after him and watching as Minseok made himself comfortable on the couch.

“So?” Minseok prompted, looking up at him. “What’s going on?”

“Have you, uh, talked to Baekhyun?” Junmyeon hesitantly asked.

“Uh-huh,” Minseok replied, staring at Junmyeon and waiting for an explanation. 

Junmyeon felt himself deflate. 

“I fucked everything up,” Junmyeon groaned, sinking down on the arm of the couch and running his fingers through his hair. “I mean, this was just supposed to be fake dating. We weren’t supposed to _make out_.”

“Honestly, Junmyeon, arrangements like that are bound to fail. Things always happen. _Feelings_ happen. It’s pretty much inevitable.”

“I know,” Junmyeon sighed. “I just feel like this is really going to screw things up between us. I don’t want to lose him as a friend.”

“Talking to him would probably be step one,” Minseok pointed out wryly, eyebrows raised. 

“I know, I know,” Junmyeon admitted, stomach swirling nervously at just the thought of facing Baekhyun after last night. “I just don’t want to make it worse. I don’t want him getting the wrong idea.”

Not that he didn’t already have it. Junmyeon still didn't know what compelled Baekhyun to kiss him the night before, but that didn’t change how eagerly he’d reciprocated and how into it he’d been. There was no way Baekhyun couldn’t have gleaned how fucking much Junmyeon liked him and was attracted to him. 

“He’s a big boy,” Minseok pointed out, matter of fact. “He knew the risks just as well as you did going into this whole thing. He’s not going to hold it against you that you don’t have feelings for him. I promise he’ll get over it as long as you stop hiding in your apartment and talk to him like an adult.”

“I- wait what? What are you talking about?” Junmyeon asked, squinting at Minseok like he’d spoken another language. The late afternoon sun was coming in behind Minseok’s head, and Junmyeon blinked against the bright light. “Why would he- He doesn’t want to date me. Why would he hold it against me that I don’t have feelings for him? I’m worried he’ll be freaked out that I _do_.”

What the fuck was Minseok talking about? 

“What the fuck are _you_ talking about?” Minseok inquired, nearly echoing Junmyeon’s thoughts. “Why wouldn’t he want to date you exactly? He’s only tried kissing you twice in the last two days…”

“Because he’s straight…?” Junmyeon replied, wondering how Minseok could ignore that fact so completely,

“What?” Minseok barked out a laugh. “Wait, are you serious?”

Junmyeon opened his mouth as Minseok stopped laughing to stare at him incredulously, but he didn't know what to say. Obviously he was serious. 

“Baekhyun isn’t straight,” Minseok said, brows creased like he was judging Junmyeon for saying such a thing. “He’s _bi_. Did you seriously think he was straight?”

“I…” Junmyeon started, but trailed off because he kind of didn’t know what to say. “Are you sure?”

“Uh, _yeah_ ,” Minseok snorted, nearly rolling his eyes at Junmyeon’s incredulity. “He comes to gay bars with us. Did you forget that?”

“Chanyeol’s come too!” Junmyeon defended. Because it was true! He’d had straight friends who had accompanied him for moral support in the past as well. It wasn’t that outlandish to think Baekhyun had been doing the same. 

“He doesn’t accept drinks and flirt with guys though,” Minseok pointed out with a laugh.

“That’s just...how Baekhyun is though…” Junmyeon weakly defended, wondering how he could have missed something so huge all this time. “Are you really sure he’s into guys?”

“I’m really, really sure,” Minseok confirmed, and then waved his hand when Junmyeon felt his eyes nearly bug out at what that assurance made it sound like. “No, we haven’t hooked up. But let’s just say he and I have had a couple partners in common.”

“Oh,” Junmyeon replied, overwhelmed with this new knowledge. 

Aside from the fact that he felt like an absolute moron, this meant Baekhyun was into guys. And considering he’d initiated things the night before, it seemed like he might be into _Junmyeon._

“You need to go talk to Baekhyun,” Minseok reiterated, standing up from the couch and fixing Junmyeon with a look. “You should probably put on actual pants and clothes without holes in them first, though.”

Junmyeon snorted, agreeing as he walked Minseok to the door. 

He promised to text Minseok later, but his mind was still racing. 

_He had a chance with Baekhyun_. That is, if he hadn’t completely screwed it up by running out of the bar and then ignoring him for...16 hours.

Junmyeon wanted to smack himself, but instead took a quick shower and got dressed like a human as Minseok had suggested. If he had any chance of salvaging things, he had to move fast and apologize as soon as possible. 

He just had to hope Baekhyun would be willing to forgive him. 

\---

Junmyeon steeled himself after knocking on Baekhyun's door, hearing the sound of soft footsteps inside. This was Baekhyun, his friend. There was no need to be nervous. Even if Baekhyun had had feelings for him that Junmyeon ruined by behaving like an idiot, he really didn't think Baekhyun would be upset enough to let it ruin their friendship. So even if things didn't go as he hoped, he likely wasn't going to lose anything. He wouldn't be in a worse situation than he started out in. 

Nonetheless, Junmyeon's heart was kicking when Baekhyun actually opened the door, surprise showing on his face. Apparently Minseok hadn't said anything to him to warn him that Junmyeon was coming to talk to him. Junmyeon actually should have texted him, but he'd left in such a hurry that he'd forgotten to get his phone from where he'd abandoned it in his bedroom the night before.

"Hey," Baekhyun said, looking like he was trying to school his face into a neutral expression. "What's up?"

"Can I come in?" Junmyeon asked, stepping inside when Baekhyun nodded and moved aside to let him pass.

Toeing off his shoes, Junmyeon took a fortifying breath.

"I'm really sorry about last night," Junmyeon blurted out as Baekhyun started leading the way toward the living room so he had to turn back. 

Baekhyun wasn't speechless often (if ever), but Junmyeon could see him struggling with how to respond. 

"Sorry we can go sit," he hastily added, unsure of how effective stacked apologies were.

Nodding, Baekhyun made his way to the couch with Junmyeon following an appropriate distance behind him.

There was a basket of unfolded laundry next to the coffee table like Junmyeon had interrupted him in the middle of doing household chores. It was so mundane in the midst of Junmyeon's swirling emotions that he almost wanted to laugh.

Baekhyun sat down on one end of the couch, scooting right up against the arm so Junmyeon would have plenty of space to sit without getting too close. Personal space was something Junmyeon had never known Baekhyun to be aware of, so it had a pang of guilt reverberating in his chest. 

It was disconcerting to see Baekhyun unsure. Baekhyun's ability to skillfully navigate in any social situation was one of the things Junmyeon admired about him, so to know he was the reason Baekhyun looked like he kind of wished the couch would swallow him whole was making Junnyeon feel sick with shame.

"So, I'm, uh, sorry for last night," Junmyeon said before the unusual silence crept into his lungs, feeling even more pathetic saying it a second time. "I'm sorry I ran out without saying anything."

"No, I shouldn't have kissed you," Baekhyun interjected, slender hand waving and catching the slanted ray of sunlight coming in through the window. "Don't worry, Minseok already told me I shouldn't have gotten you drunk and tried to make out with you."

He let out a nervous self deprecating laugh at that, ears turning red, and Junmyeon's heart clutched. 

"Well, it kind of worked," Junmyeon offered, allowing himself a chuckle at Baekhyun's surprised look.

"That's what I said!" he eagerly replied, and Junmyeon snorted. "Though I guess Minseok is right. It's really not a good idea."

That was probably true. But it was his own stupidity that had been the true downfall of the night.

"I won't argue with that," Junmyeon said. "But the only reason I left was...I was worried you were gonna realize that I had feelings for you."

Junmyeon nearly held his breath as he watched Baekhyun absorb that information. Definitely not the most romantic confession, but Junmyeon was pretty sure he'd lost the right to a smooth, well thought out confession when he'd run out of the bar.

Baekhyun's brows furrowed in confusion at Junmyeon's explanation. Which...given the events of the last couple days, Junmyeon could understand. 

"I thought you were only into girls," Junmyeon hastily added, watching Baekhyun's eyes widen as his mouth dropped open. 

"What?" Baekhyun asked on an incredulous laugh. "How?"

"I don't know," Junmyeon admitted, feeling like just as much of an idiot as he had when he'd had this conversation with Minseok. But the fact that Baekhyun was sitting up and leaning toward Junmyeon with a familiar sparkle of amusement in his eyes had Junmyeon wanting to smile. "I just...assumed? You only dated a girl since I met you. At least that I knew about."

Baekhyun appeared to be thinking about that, maybe trying to remember the timeline of certain past relationships, before his brows scrunched again 

"Junmyeon, I've talked about _blowing_ guys in front of you!" Baekhyun exclaimed, tipping forward as he cackled and smacked a hand down on Junmyeon's knee.

Had he? Junmyeon remembered a conversation wherein Minseok had been teasing Chanyeol about his big mouth and how it was a waste for a straight man… He definitely remembered Baekhyun trying to deep throat his beer bottle to demonstrate his own skills. Though Junmyeon had assumed Baekhyun had just been being over the top and kidding like he often was. But with his newfound knowledge about Baekhyun's preferences, that memory felt a lot heavier than it had before. 

Apparently all his belated realizations were showing on his face because Baekhyun was laughing at him, shoving at his shoulder. 

Baekhyun, with the late afternoon sun shining golden on his soft hair as it flopped against his forehead and his eyes creased with laughter, was stunning, and Junmyeon wondered if the floor under them was on an incline because he felt helpless to stop from listing toward him.

"Why would I suggest pretend dating if I didn't even like guys?" Baekhyun asked, and Junmyeon had asked himself that very question initially without being able to come up with a good answer.

He shrugged, and Baekhyun chuckled, shaking his head. 

"I guess I should own up to having ulterior motives when I pitched that idea," Baekhyun added sheepishly, ears pink but gaze steady on Junmyeon. "I'd hoped it would turn into something real at some point. Though making a move when you'd just broken up with your ex...probably not really the best timing."

"He doesn't matter," Junmyeon was quick to interject. "I wasn't hung up on him. Honestly, I barely even thought about him after our, uh, arrangement started. I'd...had kind of a crush on you for a while."

The spark of mischief in Baekhyun's eyes was so obvious to Junmyeon after being friends for several years, and he braced himself for whatever tease Baekhyun had for him. 

"Just kind of?" he prompted, brows waggling and lips quirking as he leaned into Junmyeon's space.

"I thought you were straight!" Junmyeon defended, wondering when his ignorance had become a defense. "I was trying to keep my expectations in check!"

Baekhyun's cackle at his expense only had Junmyeon laughing and gravitating toward the warmth of Baekhyun's smile. 

"So," Baekhyun said after knocking his foot against Junmyeon's ankle, "would you want to go on a real date? I don't think I'm cut out for fake dates."

The grin that Junmyeon felt stretch across his face was probably an answer in itself, but his reply of _definitely_ didn't hurt.

\---

"Are you serious?" Junmyeon laughed, stepping off the elevator on his floor.

He and Baekhyun had gone on their first official "real" date, and while they hadn't even had anything to drink, Junmyeon felt giddy and light like he'd drank a glass of wine too quickly.

"Of course I'm serious!" Baekhyun insisted, following after Junmyeon and shoving at his shoulder from behind. "Why would I lie? My first kiss with a boy was really in preschool! I mean, my second wasn't until my senior year in high school. And there were kisses with girls in between. But _still_."

"Pretty impressive," Junmyeon teased. "Such a casanova from an early age."

"You shouldn't seem so surprised," Baekhyun huffed, stopping with Junmyeon outside of his apartment.

"I'm not!" he defended dramatically, snickering when Baekhyun made like he was going to hit him.

But Junmyeon felt like his breath was stuck in his throat as their laughter died down and Baekhyun's playful gaze got a bit more serious. There was a bit of a twinkle in his eyes still, but there was also something that had Junmyeon swallowing and nearly holding his breath as Baekhyun stepped forward. 

His back touched the door as Baekhyun leaned forward to kiss him, hand hooking around his nape to pull him in. 

They'd kissed after talking on Sunday, but he'd kind of teasingly said he didn't put out before a first date, since they hadn't had an official real date yet. He'd been joking, but at the same time just knowing that Baekhyun was into him was so overwhelming that he felt like he needed a minute to let everything sink in before he gave into instinct and showed Baekhyun just how much he wanted him.

So while this wasn't their first kiss since turning their arrangement into a genuine one, it was still new, and Junmyeon felt like he couldn't get enough as Baekhyun's head tilted to kiss him deeper. 

Nipping against Junmyeon's lip, Baekhyun pulled back to regard him with dark eyes.

"So," he said, voice light like a tease but with a telltale rasp that let Junmyeon know he wasn't the only one feeling it, "are you gonna invite me in for coffee?"

His brow was quirked as his lips lifted, and it took Junmyeon a second to remember telling Baekhyun that his end of the night move was inviting a guy in for coffee.

He huffed out an embarrassed laugh, but felt anticipation rise in his chest. Asking Baekhyun in was a pretty clear invitation for something else, because they obviously weren't going to sit around drinking coffee and discussing the financial market. 

"Do you want to come in for coffee?" Junmyeon asked, the question coming out jokingly, getting the laugh from Baekhyun he'd wanted, but he was serious about the implications. And he was pretty sure Baekhyun was too.

Though Baekhyun naturally made like he was thinking it over until Junmyeon smacked at his chest and he burst out laughing.

Junmyeon unlocked his apartment and felt his stomach flip as they stepped inside. Baekhyun had been there so many times that it was ridiculous that his pulse was racing when all Baekhyun was taking off were his shoes, but he couldn't help the anticipation taking over every inch of his body. 

"Gonna fire up the cappuccino machine?" Baekhyun teased, leaning against the kitchen counter and looking so fucking good, Junmyeon wondered how he had ever managed to be in the same room as Baekhyun without making it completely obvious how attracted to him he was.

Though he'd clearly lost that ability if the way Baekhyun's playful grin dropped as Junmyeon took a step toward him was anything to go by. He knew Baekhyun could see it on his face how much he wanted him, and watching that same want reflected back in Baekhyun's eyes was enough to have him shaking off any trepidation he might have had and just kissing him.

Baekhyun's hand went to his jaw as Junmyeon pressed him up against the counter, holding tight to Baekhyun's waist as he felt Baekhyun tongue touch the seam of his lips. 

A little hum resonated from Baekhyun's throat as their tongues brushed, and Junmyeon felt arousal sweep through him so fast he might have stumbled forward if not for the counter holding them up. 

A couple days ago, having sex seemed too soon- too much. But today, Junmyeon felt like he'd waited an eon. He didn't know for sure that Baekhyun was thinking the same thing, but he was pretty confident considering Baekhyun's teasing hint to invite him. Plus there was the press of Baekhyun's hips against his. And there was no hiding the interest there.

Baekhyun was definitely rocking against him with purpose, and Junmyeon shivered at the feel of his burgeoning erection against his own swiftly stiffening length.

It was still soaking in that Baekhyun had been with men before- that those long fingers knew just how to stroke a cock to make a guy come, that his jokes about the benefit of his big mouth were based on his experience sucking men off until they shot down his throat. Junmyeon supposed there was some part of him that got jealous, thinking about Baekhyun with other guys, but mostly it was just insanely hot, and he couldn't stop imagining it. 

Sucking on his lower lip, Baekhyun pulled away from Junmyeon’s mouth with a slick, obscene sound that had Junmyeon immediately leaning forward to chase him. But he was met with air when Baekhyun dropped to his knees and started to undo Junmyeon’s pants. 

“What…” Junmyeon started, not actually unsure of what Baekhyun was doing, but mind having a hard time comprehending it nonetheless. 

“Are you clean?” Baekhyun asked, voice husky as he looked up at Junmyeon once he had his jeans pulled down past his butt. 

“Y-yeah,” Junmyeon replied. He’d just gotten tested, actually, not having trusted that his ex had been faithful. He still didn’t know whether he had or not, but at least he hadn’t passed on any diseases. Junmyeon also didn’t really care at that point. He didn’t care about much of anything besides Baekhyun down on his knees, face to face with his cock straining against the thin fabric of his briefs.

“Me too,” Baekhyun breathed, lips quirking slightly as he pulled Junmyeon’s underwear down so his dick sprang free. 

The little noise in Baekhyun’s throat and the feel of hot breath against him were the only warnings Junmyeon got before Baekhyun’s mouth was around his erection, and Junmyeon hastily gripped the edge of the counter in front of him so he didn’t just crumple to the ground. 

Baekhyun’s tongue felt sinful against him- dragging flat and wide along his length, and wiggling against the tip like he was writing in cursive with his tongue. The ease with which Baekhyun swallowed him down was too fucking hot to think about, and look at, so Junmyeon let his eyes close as he felt the head of his cock drag against the roof of Baekhyun’s mouth. 

Turned out, Baekhyun’s boasting hadn’t been unfounded. Not that Junmyeon had expected that it would be. This was just- Baekhyun’s mouth around his dick was going to be devastating no matter what, so the fact that he was incredible at sucking guys off… it was almost too much.

Fingers pressing into the granite countertop, Junmyeon couldn’t help the moan as Baekhyun sucked hard at the head of his dick, tongue laving enthusiastically at the tip like he was trying to draw as much precum from him as possible. 

Junmyeon had imagined leading Baekhyun to his bedroom, stripping him bare, and making him squirm against the sheets with his mouth and hands roaming over every inch of his skin before straddling Baekhyun’s hips and taking his length into his body. Getting sucked off while holding himself up on the counter, still mostly dressed, was not what Junmyeon had pictured. But that was fine. _This_ was fine. More than fine. Fucking amazing. So fucking good he didn’t know how much longer he could last.

Baekhyun’s thumbs were digging into Junmyeon’s pelvis hard enough Junmyeon thought they might leave bruises- _hoped_ they would leave bruises. The idea of seeing the ghost of Baekhyun’s grip on his hips when he looked in the mirror before stepping into the shower…

Letting out a trembling breath, Junmyeon felt his cock pulse in Baekhyun’s mouth as his muscles contracted. _God,_ he was so fucking close. And Baekhyun working his length with his tongue and lips like it was the only thing in the world he wanted to be doing was just sending him toward the edge of release faster. 

“ _Baek_ ,” he gasped, voice sounding rough. “If you- I can’t-”

Baekhyun didn’t falter at Junmyeon’s aborted attempts at a warning, fingers pressing into his ass to pull him even further into his mouth even though Junmyeon was fairly sure that wasn’t possible.

The rushing sound of his pulse in his ears was getting louder as Junmyeon’s knees began to tremble. It was too much- too good. His body had reached the brink, and he could do nothing but give in to what Baekhyun’s tongue was demanding of him.

“ _Coming_ ,” Junmyeon choked out, squeezing his eyes closed so tightly there were colored flashes popping behind his lids. His thigh muscles stiffened, abs clenching as his hips pressed forward as much as possible in Baekhyun’s hold as his length throbbed and shot his release into the back of Baekhyun’s throat. 

Junmyeon’s ears were ringing as he rode out the pleasure, breath stuttering and a moan getting stuck in his throat as he shook with how overwhelmingly good it felt. 

It was only when the stroke of Baekhyun’s wicked tongue started to almost hurt that Junmyeon got a hand on Baekhyun’s head to signal to him that it was too much. 

Baekhyun’s eyes were dark when he looked up at Junmyeon, lips red and puffy as he rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth to wipe the moisture from his lips. Junmyeon was half expecting some sort of gloating at how thoroughly Baekhyun had destroyed him, but instead Baekhyun was just surging to his feet to press his mouth to Junmyeon’s- the briny taste of his own release on Baekhyun’s tongue. 

Before Junmyeon could even ask Baekhyun if he wanted to move to the bedroom, or the couch at the very least, Baekhyun was unbuttoning his own pants and hopping up onto the counter. Those tapered, long fingers were wrapped around Junmyeon’s wrist, guiding his hand to the bulge in his boxers. 

Mouths still attached, Junmyeon pulled the material out of the way, and moaned along with Baekhyun as he got a hand around his cock. The slide was easy with the precum already leaking from the tip, and Junmyeon wasn’t even sure whose groan it was at the first slick stroke. 

Knowing how worked up Baekhyun had gotten from blowing him was probably the sexiest thing in the entire world, and Junmyeon wanted to give him an orgasm that he would be feeling echoes of for days. 

Baekhyun’s fingers carding through Junmyeon’s hair, pulling a little when Junmyeon’s palm skated over the head of his dick, was making Junmyeon’s breath catch. Every bit of proof of Baekhyun’s pleasure just made Junmyeon want to wreck him even more. His moans against Junmyeon’s mouth were deliciously debauched, and they helped Junmyeon find the sensitive spot right below the ridge that he made sure to press against on every upstroke. 

“ _Junmyeon_ ,” Baekhyun groaned, messy kiss broken when Baekhyun tipped his head back to rest against the cabinet behind him. His hands moved to Junmyeon’s shoulders where he clamped down tight in time with Junmyeon’s rhythm on his length. 

Junmyeon could see the pleasure playing out across Baekhyun’s face- brows pinching and eyes squeezing shut as his mouth dropped open. That was a man on the brink of orgasm, and Junmyeon wanted nothing more than to coax him over the edge.

If it was possible to get hard again already, Junmyeon was pretty sure he was, because Baekhyun barrelling toward ecstasy from his touch was the fucking hottest thing. Junmyeon meant to bend down to catch Baekhyun’s release in his mouth, but he couldn’t look away from Baekhyun’s face. Instead, he watched breathlessly as Baekhyun came between them, cum splattering against Junmyeon’s grip and falling onto Baekhyun’s stomach and thighs. 

And that- Baekhyun panting with a sheen of sweat on his brow and proof of his orgasm dotted on his clothes- was a sexier image than anything Junmyeon had ever seen in porn. 

More than that, the warm curl of Baekhyun’s hand around the back of Junmyeon’s neck to pull him into a kiss had Junmyeon’s heart fluttering in his chest. 

Baekhyun was still catching his breath, so it was mostly just the bump and press of lips with hot exhalations against Junmyeon’s chin, but it was one of the headiest kisses Junmyeon had ever experienced. 

“Didn’t even make it out of the kitchen,” Baekhyun teased a moment later, voice throatier than usual, but with a familiar twinkle of amusement in his eyes. 

Junmyeon huffed out a laugh, pulling an extra hand towel out of a cabinet and handing it to Baekhyun to clean himself up a little. 

“Yeah, I was anticipating the bedroom, but…” Junmyeon trailed off, finally pulling his pants back up and tucking himself back in, though he was sure Baekhyun had noticed that he wasn’t fully soft by any stretch of the imagination. 

“We can still have sex in the bedroom,” Baekhyun said with a mischeivous tilt of his lips. “Tomorrow. Tonight. Both?”

“I- yeah,” Junmyeon agreed, watching with too much interest as Baekhyun pulled his underwear back up. 

Easing himself down from the counter, Baekhyun was looking at Junmyeon like he was already picturing everything else he wanted to do with him, and Junmyeon’s body went from potentially interested to absolutely ready for more. 

“Shower?” Baekhyun suggested, holding out a hand for Junmyeon to grab. “We’ll get to the bed eventually.”

“I believe you,” Junmyeon chuckled, fingers twining with Baekhyun’s. 

Was this their first date or their tenth? Junmyeon wasn’t really sure, but what he _was_ sure of was that it was the best date he’d ever been on. And he was ready to make very sure that that was true for Baekhyun as well

\---

“Well, the book tour is out,” Chanyeol put in, grabbing a handful of fries off of Baekhyun’s plate. “Too bad, too. I was hoping you’d take pity on my poor ass and share your wealth.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Baekhyun asked, shielding his food with a curved arm. “What book tour?”

“For your self help book about dating a friend to set standards for your future relationships,” Chanyeol replied around the stolen fries. “If it worked, you could have been rich.”

“But it totally worked!” Baekhyun argued, gesturing to Junmyeon next to him like he was a game show host showing off the prize.

“For you,” Chanyeol countered. “The point wasn’t to date your friend. The point was to set yourself up for healthier relationships with _other_ people.”

“No, the point was to date Junmyeon. And I am,” Baekhyun retorted, turning his square shaped grin toward Junmyeon. 

“So you could write a book about how to trick Junmyeon into dating you,” Minseok teased over the rim of his beer glass. “Somehow I don’t think that’s a universal experience, though. Seems a little niche.”

“You are _not_ going to get rich off that,” Chanyeol agreed, pouting even as he stole another couple fries from Baekhyun’s plate. 

“I didn’t _trick_ him,” Baekhyun argued. “He knew what he was getting into!”

“He thought you were straight,” Chanyeol deadpanned, and Minseok snorted into his sandwich.

“That’s on him, not me,” Baekhyun replied with a laugh, and Junmyeon frowned with everyone’s amusement turned in his direction. 

“It was an honest mistake!” he defended. “He dated a girl before! I didn’t know!”

“Remember when he grinded up on that guy in the gay bar?” Minseok asked Chanyeol.

“Wish I could forget,” Chanyeol replied, getting kicked by Baekhyun under the table. 

But Junmyeon had three pairs of eyes on him again, all shining with mirth at his expense. 

He sighed, having a feeling the teasing wasn’t going to stop any time soon. 

“Well, it all worked out,” Junmyeon pointed out, and had Baekhyun smiling at him in his periphery- hand finding his thigh under the table. 

Being the butt of his friends’ jokes aside, it really _had_ all worked out- even better than he ever could have imagined. And sure, maybe if he hadn’t been so oblivious, things would have happened sooner and he could have saved himself some angst. But he couldn’t wish for anything to have been any different with Baekhyun leaning, warm, into his side as he laughed at something Minseok said. 

“Or you could just lie and write the book anyway,” Chanyeol suggested, gesturing with his burger and sending a couple mayonnaise covered lettuce shreds flying onto the table. 

“Who says you’re getting any of the money anyway?” Baekhyun retorted, grabbing a tator tot from Chanyeol’s plate in revenge for all the fry thievery. “If I put in the effort to write a bullshit self-help book, I’m keeping the money I get from it. Maybe you should write it yourself.”

“But I haven’t been in a fake relationship with anyone,” Chanyeol complained. “At least you have a foundation to write from. I’ll be your editor! Then you have to pay me.”

“Why don’t you pretend to date Minseok and write about that, then?” Junmyeon interjected, and Baekhyun’s cackle in his ear was loud. 

Chanyeol blinked at him, jumping when Minseok jokingly put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to shoot him a sultry look.

Baekhyun was bent over laughing, and Junmyeon couldn’t help but snicker at the way Chanyeol’s face flamed at Minseok’s over the top flirting. 

“I’d give you a cut of the theoretical money,” Baekhyun whispered conspiratorially to him a couple minutes later while Minseok and Chanyeol argued over what heist movie was the best, moving on from scam self-help books as a means of potential wealth. “If you stay on my good side.”

“Gee, thanks,” Junmyeon snorted, and Baekhyun beamed, arm curved around him. 

With Baekhyun’s hand warm on his waist and his laughter in his ear, Junmyeon felt like he really had raised his standards for how he ought to be treated in a relationship. Somehow, despite everything, Baekhyun’s ridiculous idea had worked in the end. 

Which was how Junmyeon knew he’d agree to the next bad idea as well. He kind of couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are always appreciated :)
> 
> Title taken from Julia Michaels' song, _17_.
> 
> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/g_odalisque13).


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